


but counting down the days to go

by pawnshophearttradingup



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Angst, Future Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 16:09:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17707451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pawnshophearttradingup/pseuds/pawnshophearttradingup
Summary: “Zacharias?” Alfonse asked, and his voice sounded so faint and weak. This whole thing had felt wrong from the beginning, but nothing could have made that more obvious than this moment, Bruno thought as he entered the room.





	but counting down the days to go

**Author's Note:**

> so rigil and i wrote something cute and fluffy together on twitter a while back, and i joked about how now i needed to write angst to balance the universe out since rigil wrote fluff
> 
> but i'd already had this idea in my head so it wasn't hard to get inspired. and i needed to post it before the next chapter comes along and tells me i'm wrong about all of this
> 
> anyway thanks to geo for beta-ing for me, as always
> 
> also. i'm sure it's obvious this isn't like a HAPPY fic but warning for a brief mention of blood? stay safe

The letter had been in Sharena’s handwriting, but it seemed rushed. Like she’d scribbled it down hastily so she could get it out as soon as possible.

“Come quick,” it said. “Alfonse wants to see you.”

Bruno was concerned for many reasons, namely that Alfonse would have written a message like that himself, rather than have Sharena write it for him. Additionally, Bruno knew that Alfonse wasn’t the kind of person to send a frivolous message like that unless it was truly important, so he set off upon reading Sharena’s letter, and the next day saw him approaching the Order of Heroes’ castle.

He almost wished he still had his old armor somewhere, so he could feel more like he fit in. He hadn’t worn his own armor, either, though, forgoing it for something simpler. Something easier to conceal himself with.

He’d found Sharena outside of Alfonse’s room, her eyes (and her whole face, actually) suspiciously red and blotchy, like she’d been crying.

“Oh, Zacharias,” she wailed, throwing herself at him and clinging to him. “It’s… It’s…” She took a step back, wiping at her eyes again. She looked ready to say something again, but the door was cracked open and Bruno could hear Alfonse inside.

“Zacharias?” he asked, and his voice sounded so faint and weak. This whole thing had felt wrong from the beginning, but nothing could have made that more obvious than this moment, Bruno thought as he entered the room.

Alfonse looked so… small, laying there in bed. His skin was deathly pale, he was shaking, and it looked like it hurt him even to just breathe.

Bruno was on him in an instant. “What happened?” he asked, though he had the feeling he didn’t want to know the answer.

“I… Hel, we fought Hel, and she--” Alfonse started coughing, and Bruno was horrified to see a bright red blood stain contrasting against his stark white sheets when he pulled away. “She… cursed me. She gave me nine days to live.”

Bruno was thankful he still wore his mask today, since it at least partially hid his expression. He couldn’t see it for himself, obviously, but he was sure it was bad and if what Alfonse was saying was true, then he didn’t want that to be the last of him Alfonse saw. “And how long ago was that?” He didn’t want to know the answer to this, either.

“Four days… maybe?”

Bruno didn’t know what to say to that. Instead, he just reached out, taking Alfonse’s hand in his. “And there’s nothing you can do?”

Alfonse started to shake his head, then thought better of it. “Kiran’s looking for a solution.”

“But you’re not hopeful.” It was a statement, not a question, and he could see Alfonse flinch back at it.

Alfonse didn’t have anything to say to that, lacking a reply, though it might have been that he was just cut off by his coughing again. “I don’t know what will happen,” he eventually settled on, and it felt like he was being honest about that. “I just… wanted to make sure I saw you one last time.”

Bruno squeezed the hand he was still clutching like a lifeline, like he could save Alfonse if he just didn’t let go of him. “I wish I could stay,” he said. At least until…

Until what might be the end, if the Summoner couldn’t find a cure.

But he couldn’t even have that. The only reason he could be here now, he suspected, was because his own curse saw the futility in killing a dying man, and he wasn’t sure how long that would hold out.

Alfonse’s strength had been sapped from him, but Bruno could feel when he loosely gripped his hand back. Alfonse was staring at him, so tired but so determined. “I want you to know… that I love you.”

Bruno knew that.

He’d known that since he was 16, known it since Alfonse followed him into the Order of Heroes without looking back. It was almost impossible not to know it, but that didn’t stop Bruno’s heart from pounding in his chest upon hearing it.

“I love you, too,” Bruno said, bringing Alfonse’s hand up to his chest. He wanted to do more, but he didn’t dare. Alfonse looked too fragile right now, like anything more would shatter him like porcelain.

Alfonse only smiled in reply. Maybe talking so much wore him out, Bruno thought, watching as Alfonse’s eyes slipped closed.

Once he was sure Alfonse was asleep, though it couldn’t have been very restful, Bruno pulled his mask off, so he could wipe away the tears filling his eyes. Maybe he should have said something sooner. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had the chance to, even before he left the first time, but now here they were and it was too late.

Alfonse was dying, and his last wish was to let Bruno know he was loved.

It wasn’t fair. He almost wished Alfonse had kept it to himself, but then he thought that was too cruel. Alfonse didn’t deserve to die with anything he regretted.

He didn’t deserve to die at all, really, but there was nothing Bruno could do about that. All his knowledge of curses, and it couldn’t help anybody that mattered to him. Not himself, and not the person he’d been in love with for about half his life.

All he could do, really, was hold on to Alfonse’s hand and be there as long as he could stand.

**Author's Note:**

> title from "cancer" by my chemical romance. yeah. yeah it's emo. i know
> 
> as always, i can be found on twitter [@lineraway](https://twitter.com/lineraway) if you wanna come yell at me about this
> 
> in a few days hopefully i'll post something more my usual fare bc uh. i might've been writing a birthday gift for myself (my birthday's the 12th)


End file.
